The Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS) is the focal point for research and training on the demography and economics of aging at Syracuse University (SU). CAPS research is characterized by two signature themes and three cross-cutting themes that directly address the goals and priority areas of NIA. The two signature themes are health and well-being and family and intergenerational supports; the three cross-cutting themes are the role of policy, the importance of place, and the distinctive circumstances of specific populations, including populations defined by historical experiences (e.g., military veterans), geography (e.g., rural residents), health conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease), or shared vulnerabilities (e.g., low socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority adults). Encompassing these thematic areas, the overarching objective of the Center for Aging and Policy Studies is to improve the health, well-being, and independence of older adults through research, training, and dissemination.
As a central component of the SU Aging Studies Institute (ASI), a university-wide, multi-disciplinary endeavor that facilitates aging-focused research and training, CAPS has a long history as a vibrant and centralized hub for innovative, interdisciplinary, and policy-relevant research on the demography and economics of aging. CAPS operates as a hub-and-spoke consortium across Upstate New York, with SU as its hub and the Cornell Population Center and the School of Public Health of the University at Albany as its spokes. CAPS has twice been funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA)’s Demography and Economics of Aging Centers program, in the initial (1994–1999) and fourth (2009–2014) P30 grant cycles, and continues to receive institutional support.